Highlights d Binding of ATP-competitive inhibitors to c-Src relieves its auto-inhibition d Inhibitor-bound c-Src in an open state forms a complex with FAK d Reduction of inhibitor concentration activates c-Src and the FAK-Grb2-Erk cascade d Inhibitors activate drug-resistant c-Src mutant and the cascade
Dasatinib treatment markedly increases the number of large granular lymphocytes (LGLs) in a proportion of Ph leukemia patients, which associates with a better prognosis. The lymphocytosis is predominantly observed in cytomegalovirus (CMV)-seropositive patients, yet detectable CMV reactivation exists only in a small fraction of patients. Thus, etiology of the lymphocytosis still remains unclear. Here, we identified NK cells as the dominant LGLs expanding in dasatinib-treated patients, and applied principal component analysis (PCA) to an extensive panel of NK cell markers to explore underlying factors in NK cell activation. PCA displayed phenotypic divergence of NK cells that reflects CMV-associated differentiation and genetic differences, and the divergence was markedly augmented in CMV-seropositive dasatinib-treated patients. Notably, the CMV-associated highly differentiated status of NK cells was already observed at leukemia diagnosis, and was further enhanced after starting dasatinib in virtually all CMV-seropositive patients. Thus, the extensive characterization of NK cells by PCA strongly suggests that CMV is an essential factor in the NK cell activation, which progresses stepwise during leukemia and subsequent dasatinib treatment most likely by subclinical CMV reactivation. This study provides a rationale for the exploitation of CMV-associated NK cell activation for treatment of leukemias.
Nanosized DNA assemblies are useful for delivering immunostimulatory cytosine-phosphate-guanine (CpG) DNA to immune cells, but little is known about the optimal structure for such delivery. In this study, we designed three different DNA nanostructures using four 55-mer oligodeoxynucleotides (ODNs), that is, tetrapod-like structured DNA (tetrapodna), tetrahedral DNA (tetrahedron), and tetragonal DNA (tetragon), and compared their potencies. Electrophoresis showed that tetrapodna was obtained with high yield and purity, whereas tetrahedron formed multimers at high ODN concentrations. Atomic force microscopy revealed that all preparations were properly constructed under optimal conditions. The thermal stability of tetrapodna was higher than those of the others. Dynamic light scattering analysis showed that all of the assemblies were about 8 nm in diameter. Upon addition to mouse macrophage-like RAW264.7 cells, tetrahedron was most efficiently taken up by the cells. Then, a CpG DNA, a ligand for toll-like receptor 9, was linked to these DNA nanostructures and added to RAW264.7 cells. CpG tetrahedron induced the largest amount of tumor necrosis factor-α, followed by CpG tetrapodna. Similar results were obtained using human peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Taken together, these results indicate that tetrapodna is the best assembly with the highest yield and high immunostimulatory activity, and tetrahedron can be another useful assembly for cellular delivery if its preparation yield is improved.
Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is associated with graft rejection in renal transplantation. Memory-like natural killer (NK) cells expressing NKG2C and lacking FcεRIγ are established during CMV infection. Additionally, CD8+ T cells expressing NKG2C have been observed in some CMV-seropositive patients. However, in vivo kinetics detailing the development and differentiation of these lymphocyte subsets during CMV infection remain limited. Here, we interrogated the in vivo kinetics of lymphocytes in CMV-infected renal transplant patients using longitudinal samples compared with those of nonviremic (NV) patients. Recipient CMV-seropositive (R+) patients had preexisting memory-like NK cells (NKG2C+CD57+FcεRIγ–) at baseline, which decreased in the periphery immediately after transplantation in both viremic and NV patients. We identified a subset of prememory-like NK cells (NKG2C+CD57+FcεRIγlow–dim) that increased during viremia in R+ viremic patients. These cells showed a higher cytotoxic profile than preexisting memory-like NK cells with transient up-regulation of FcεRIγ and Ki67 expression at the acute phase, with the subsequent accumulation of new memory-like NK cells at later phases of viremia. Furthermore, cytotoxic NKG2C+CD8+ T cells and γδ T cells significantly increased in viremic patients but not in NV patients. These three different cytotoxic cells combinatorially responded to viremia, showing a relatively early response in R+ viremic patients compared with recipient CMV-seronegative viremic patients. All viremic patients, except one, overcame viremia and did not experience graft rejection. These data provide insights into the in vivo dynamics and interplay of cytotoxic lymphocytes responding to CMV viremia, which are potentially linked with control of CMV viremia to prevent graft rejection.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.